Secrets Kept, Secrets Told
by HotaruGFC
Summary: After the battle with the Third Eye, Charlotte is left with heightened feelings for "That Man". The meeting of the captains the next day doesn't help matters any. *partially inspired by the petite clover short after episode 37*


Only four people knew.

Four people in the entire world.

At least that she knew of.

Charlotte Roselei planned to keep it that way.

The first who had known his name had taken it to the grave. She had never been able to hide anything from her grandmother-though she did not know if the reason was the old woman's magic or just because Charlotte trusted her so.

The next two people to learn had practically disowned her. She was still officially her parent's daughter and only heir, but she had not seen them in years. Not since she had told them his name after the party they had thrown to celebrate the removal of the curse, and also her eighteenth birthday. When they had learned who he was, a commoner and a foreigner, they had been livid. Their world could not be sullied with things like him. So she left without regret. She still missed her parents at times, but those times were few and far between.

The last person who knew lay next to her in bed, her arm draped over Charlotte's waist as they cuddled together. Her long time friend had known something was different the day she returned to the base. Mira always seemed to know. She reminded Charlotte of her grandmother in that way. Mira had a way of knowing when Charlotte was desperate, when thoughts of him were too much for her to handle.

Mira helped to alleviate those thoughts.

At least somewhat.

Charlotte rarely needed her help though. She was more than adept at pushing thoughts of him to the side. Most of the time. Doing so was easier before she promised her grandmother she would stop hurting herself to keep them at bay. Her grandmother had extracted the promise from her deathbed; it was not the sort of thing Charlotte took lightly.

And afterward, she had sort of fallen into Mira's arms for comfort and things had simply happened.

Charlotte knew she was not in love with Mira, just as she knew Mira wasn't in love with her. In fact, Charlotte felt Mira was in love with too many people, or maybe not in love with anyone at all.

Not like she was in in love with him.

\\*\\*\\*

Charlotte had returned from the capital and collapsed into her bed shaking. She had applauded herself for keeping things together during the fight. The Third Eye was strong, stronger than they had expected, and the fight had taken all of her concentration. She had a few moments where he teased her-he always teased her-but she had managed to keep her cool even then. She wondered if he really meant what he had said, though. Probably not, she thought as she fell back onto the bed. But she could not get the thought out of her head. She replayed the scene over and over in her mind, trying to figure out what he had meant, or rather what if he had meant what he said. She sighed heavily as she remembered what she had told him.

"Why can't I be honest with him?" She threw her arm over her eyes.

The door to her room croaked as it opened.

"You certainly rushed in here once you got back. No hello or anything." Mira said, her short figure dwarfed in the tall doorway. She and Mira had both been up for command when their former captain decided to retire. Charlotte was convinced she had been chosen for two reasons over the lightning mage: Her height and her lack of promiscuity.

"Sorry, I thought you were out doing, you know, things." Charlotte did not bother to look at her subordinate, who was in many ways her equal.

Mira crossed the room to sit next to her, only to see her hands shaking. Charlotte clenched them tightly as she sighed. Mira took Charlotte's hands in hers.

"What happened?"

"I, um." Charlotte shook her head. "The last battle was rough is all."

"What happened?" Mira pressed.

She told Mira the details of the fight, but was reluctant to talk about his presence there and his teasing, which had brought her such frustration. She shouldn't have bothered. Mira always seemed to know when he was involved.

"Was he there?"

Charlotte sighed as she looked at the ceiling.

"Yeah." She said after a long moment. She could never keep things from Mira for long anyway, she thought. Might as well admit it.

"And let me guess, now you're mind is full of all the things you want to do to him. Or maybe all the things you want him to do to you?"

"You sure you're not a mind mage like my Grandma?"

Mira laughed and laid back next to Charlotte.

"Want to tell me about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me what you want him to do to you." She brushed Charlotte's cheek and drew her fingers along her jawline. Charlotte turned toward her and met her dark eyes. They were darker than his, nearly black where his were more golden or amber colored. Her hair was black as his was, but it was soft and curly, while his stuck out in an unruly mess. She brushed a ringlet and tucked it behind Mira's ear, wondering if his hair would feel as course as her tightly locked hair. She imagined it would be softer, smoother. Mira pressed her lips against hers and Charlotte's senses were overwhelmed by the smell of the floral oil she used to keep her skin soft. She knew he would not smell so sweet. She expected he would smell of cigarettes and booze and sweat.

"I don't know what I want him to do." She was breathless as she thought exactly of what she wanted him to do. She wanted him to press her against the wall, or against the bed, to hold her down with his weight. She wanted his large hands to explore her body, his fingertips rough against her skin. Mira kissed her again, roughly as she imagined he might do, as if she had read Charlotte's mind.

"You know what you want, Charlotte. Don't lie to me." The smaller woman straddled her and kissed her again. Charlotte closed her eyes, magnifying Mira's slight weight in her mind. She moaned as Mira slipped her tongue between her lips.

"I want him to fuck me so badly. I want him to stop teasing me with his words, and to use his lips to cover my skin." She panted as Mira removed her breastplate and slipped her thin fingers beneath her shirt. Charlotte's skin goosepimpled as the cool air hit her warm flesh once Mira lifted her shirt over her head. Mira's tongue teased her nipples and her lips sucked at Charlotte's breast.

"That. I want him to do that." She moaned, imagining his large hands cupping her breasts as they spilled out over Mira's small hands. Mira's lips and tongue traced over her the skin stretched taut along her ribs and belly. Charlotte gasped, wondering just how his unshaven chin would feel against her sensitive skin. Mira hurriedly unfastened the belt which served double duty holding up both Charlotte's pants and her grimoire before she exposed the blond hair curling over her sex. Charlotte pushed Mira off, panting. She looked at her friend.

"I'll stop if you want." Mira licked her lips.

Charlotte thought for a moment. She had told him her only lover was the battlefield. She had told him to worry about himself and his own lover. Looking at Mira now, she realized how desperately she wanted to be that lover. She wanted him, right here, right now.

But she was also too close to want to stop.

Charlotte pulled off her boots and let Mira continue to remove her pants. The shorter woman ran her long, thin fingers along Charlotte's thighs as she spread her legs wide. She wanted Yami's hands and hips where Mira's were, but it was something she could not have. She couldn't risk others looking at her as her parents did-as something dirty, vile, and base, as someone who would reach so below her station. To them, the fact he was also a Magic Knight had never mattered, would never matter. Not now, not since she had been so adamant in her disdain for men in general, not since they were so caught up in their own prejudices.

Mira slipped her fingers between Charlotte's labia, stroking the ripples of flesh before entering her. Charlotte gasped as the pressure of the digits within her-digits more suited to the violin or piano than the art of the sword. She imagined them thicker, wider, pressing more fully against her as she imagined him doing the same. She wondered if he would seek to please her this way if given the chance, or if he would simply take his pleasure in her as she heard men were apt to do. She had little experience with men-her only time had not been pleasant for her fourteen year old self as a suitor her father had chosen for her forced himself upon her. He had taken what he wanted from her, filling her with his seed in hopes of forcing the marriage. He had said his father had told him to do it, because the union of their houses would be beneficial for him. She had never told her parents, but her grandmother had gotten the whole story and had made sure nothing came of the rape-neither child, marriage, or other union with their house nor any other. Afterward, she had vowed to never let another man touch her, period.

She had lived up to that vow, and yet, she could not get Yami out of her head.

Just being near him, fighting beside him, well sort of, was enough to send her mind and body reeling. She craved his touch, even now, as Mira pushed her over the edge.

She gasped as her friend kissed her thighs, licked her sex, and then crawled over her body to kiss her full on the mouth. Charlotte let Mira kiss her deeply, her mind filled with thoughts of his arms around her. She brushed her hands through Mira's hair as she rode the waves of her release. She still ached for him, but the feeling was dulled as she ran her hands down Mira's back. She tugged at the other woman's shirt, pulling it over her head.

She wanted more, she needed more. Charlotte pushed Mira to the bed and stripped her roughly of the clothing separating them. She imagined she was pulling at the thin fabric of the tight fitting shirt he wore, the one that barely hid his physique. She kissed Mira full on her lips, forcing her tongue between them as the smaller woman moaned and squirmed beneath her. She wished for his large hands to grip her ass as Mira dug her nails into the ample flesh there. She also wished Mira had the right equipment for her to slip inside of herself. She wanted to straddle him and engulf him as she claimed her pleasure from him.

Her briars crept over the bed, encircling Mira's legs as Charlotte straddled her, kneeling over her as she rubbed her sex, desperate for more.

"Charlotte?" Mira's voice was tinged with worry.

"You want to know what I want to do to him?" She panted. "I want to tie him up, hold him down and fuck him until I can't fucking move anymore. I want to ride him until he loses control, until he fills me up, and then I want to keep riding him until I'm so worn out I can't move." She gasped as she came once more. She collapsed against Mira before rolling onto her side.

"Feeling better?" Mira whispered in her ear as she brushed a loose strand of Charlotte's hair from her cheek.

"Yeah." She answered sleepily as she tucked a pillow beneath her head. Mira never asked anything of her during these episodes; she never expected Charlotte to please her in return. Charlotte was thankful as she drifted off to sleep, her mind and heart still trying to replace the small woman with him. She wondered if he would pull her to him as Mira now did, or if he would hold her at all after a moment of passion.

It doesn't matter, she told herself. It would never happen anyway.

\\*\\*\\*

Mira was still sleeping when Charlotte woke up. She felt a pang of guilt when she looked at her friend. Mira had helped her with her desires so many times, and yet Charlotte never gave her any sort of satisfaction.

And still Mira kept her secret.

The weight of Mira's arm against her belly made breathing difficult, so Charlotte turned over to her side. It was early evening, so she knew she had not been out for long, an hour or two at the most. As she watched the shadows lengthen on the floor, Charlotte's mind wandered back to the cave, to the fight, to him. She sighed. She had hoped Mira's careful work would have pushed her desire for him away for a little longer at least. But she closed her eyes and could see the cocky way he glanced over his shoulder as he bantered with Jack about not letting their opponents get away. She could hear his quip to her about getting together if they are still old and single. The idea had shocked her as it passed his lips, but the more she thought about it, the more she didn't want to wait until they were old.

She wanted him now, while she was still young enough to enjoy him.

She felt a rush of blood flow to her cheeks at the thought, and her mind morphed the thin feminine arm draped over her hip to his thicker, muscular one. She forced herself to sit up. The movement woke Mira, who sat up rubbing her eyes.

"Hey. What's wrong?"

Charlotte shook her head.

"I can't stop thinking about him." She licked her lips and shook her head again. Mira rubbed her back.

"Oh, Honey. I'm sorry."

"It's never been this bad. It feels like it's getting worse." Charlotte knit her brow together.

"Maybe you really do need a man. You know, I knew a few guys..."

"You know more than a few guys, Mira."

"True, but I could hook you up with one of my favorites. He works out on the docks. Really nice body. Quite yummy."

"I don't want anyone else. I want him."

"Then you need to tell him."

Charlotte glared at her.

"You know I can't do that."

"Stop caring about what everyone else will think and do what will make you happy." Mira practically shouted at her, suddenly angry, as she stood and hurriedly put her clothes back on.

Charlotte sighed and followed suit. Her stomach growled and she realized she had not eaten anything since before she had gone to his aid. She needed to eat. As she pulled on her boots and buckled her belt around her waist once more, the door to her room slammed shut as Mira left.

"Maybe Mira's right," she muttered to herself. "Maybe I do worry too much about appearances. Grandma always thought so. Guess that's something else I inherited from Mother." She huffed as she pulled the door open and made her way to the cafeteria.

As she sat to eat, a bird flew to her and dropped a letter on the table next to her. She sighed, took a bite of her meal and looked at the letter. It was sealed with the Wizard King's crest. She knew it could be nothing but trouble.

Mira sat across from her and Sol joined them.

"What's the letter, Sis?" Sol asked curiously.

Charlotte skimmed the note quickly before putting it aside.

"The Wizard King has summoned the captains. I'll be going to the capital tomorrow."

Mira just looked at her. She bit her bottom lip and raised her eyebrows as she stared Charlotte down. Charlotte closed her eyes, sighed and turned her attention back to her food.

"I can come with you if you want, Sis."

"I'm not your sis, Sol. I'm your captain."

"I know, Sis. So, can I come with you?"

Charlotte took a deep breath. The younger woman had good intentions. She was great in a fight and her loyalty was unwavering. But Charlotte had to admit frustration from time to time with how clingy she was.

"No. It's just a meeting. It will be boring. Even I don't want to go." Charlotte explained.

Mira tilted her head and pressed her lips together in a thin line. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression seemed to hold a challenge.

"So, it's all the captains, right?" Mira asked.

"Supposedly."

"Well, it must be important if the Wizard King is summoning you all." Sol said. Mira looked pointedly at Charlotte.

"Yes, must be." Mira said. Charlotte met her eyes finally, which held one command-'Tell him'.

\\*\\*\\*

Charlotte had hoped to get a good night's sleep, but thoughts of him kept her up. She sighed as she dressed, still thinking of him, imagining his hands on her skin. She thought to escape to the garden, and try to lose her thoughts of him as she walked the maze there. Stepping out of the doorway, she saw Mira coming back from one of her nightly outings. She wondered who had been given the honor of her company this night. The vice-captain was positively glowing as she climbed the steps to the main building's door.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked, grinning madly as she met Charlotte on the top step.

"No."

"You're going to tell him, right? I mean tomorrow, today, whatever?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"I can't. If it gets out..."

"What, you'll be ruined? Bullshit."

Charlotte sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Listen, Charlotte, you are probably the best friend I've ever had. And as your friend, I need to tell you something." She took a deep breath before fixing Charlotte with her stare. "I cannot go on living like this. I am not a tool for you to use. I have my own life, my own loves I want to pursue, but I can't because I feel like you will always need me. It's been years, and you haven't taken one step to find your own happiness, and your reluctance is keeping me from mine."

"Mira, I..."

She held up her hand to silence her captain.

"I know you're worried, afraid, but you have never let fear stop you before. You've risen through the ranks on your own strength because you have conquered so many of your fears. Why can't you face this one? If you tell him and he doesn't feel the same way, so what? At least you will know and you can start the process of moving on. We both know Sol would love to worm her way into your heart. Maybe if he turns you down you can find some comfort with her."

Charlotte blanched at the idea of pursuing a relationship with the much younger woman.

"It's, It's not that I'm worried he'll turn me down." Charlotte said softly, feeling the blood rising in her cheeks. "I can live with the rejection, I think. I mean, it wouldn't be much different than now, right?"

"So what are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid he'll feel the same. Or maybe he'll have different ideas of what he wants from me. Or maybe he doesn't... he doesn't live up to what I've imagined him to be."

Mira sighed and placed a hand on Charlotte's shoulder.

"You will never know until you take the first step. And you should take the first step." She gave Charlotte a smile before disappearing inside, leaving the Blue Rose Captain standing on the steps overlooking the garden, contemplating what she had said.

Charlotte sighed as she stepped into the garden and resigned herself to at least trying to talk to him in the morning.

\\*\\*\\*

Charlotte was early to the meeting. She always made a point of being early if she could. She hated when someone was tardy for any event, because frankly, she felt she had better uses for her time.

And someone was always late.

Usually it was him.

But not today.

Today he was early. He wasn't one of the first to arrive, but he wasn't late either.

He took the seat next to her and proceeded to inspect the gleaming blade of what appeared to be a new sword. She knew his had been broken in the fight yesterday.

Charlotte sat stiff and upright next to him, observing his actions out the corner of her eye. The room was silent as a tomb as they waited. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and started rambling about the craftsmanship of the new blade as he worked. No one seemed to pay him any attention, but she could see the gathered captains visibly relax as he spoke.

And then the status comparisons started. Charlotte rolled her eyes, mentioning how little they were getting done because of the pissing contest. No one paid her any heed though, nor did they seem notice her attention was on Yami next to her, or rather on keeping herself from getting too distracted by his nearness. He smelled of cheap booze and cigarettes, as she had expected, but there was something else, something she couldn't place that seemed to cling to him beneath the stronger scents. It made her head spin a bit as she tried to discern the smell. She found herself leaning ever so slightly toward him as he made some retort to the others. She straightened quickly when she realized what she was doing, her back going stiff once more.

She tried to follow the conversation. As she glanced at him, though, one word, a word Mira had put into her mind yesterday, kept repeating itself in her head. She hadn't given much thought to what Mira had meant by it, but it was the only thing in her mind.

He certainly looked yummy.

She bit her bottom lip in an effort to maintain her composure, silently berating herself for her distraction.

Part of her mind wouldn't listen, though, and started replaying all of her thoughts from the night before, all of the thoughts Mira had not been able to erase.

She bit harder on her lip, and forced herself to focus on the conversation.

Nozel noticed first.

"Charlotte, are you alright?"

"What?" She met his violet eyes, wondering why she couldn't have had someone like him steal her heart instead of Yami, who continued to run his mouth. It wasn't the first time, either, but when she looked at the royal, no matter how hard she might wish it, she simply felt nothing.

"You look feverish."

She swallowed hard and cursed her fair skin for its inability to hide her emotional state. Her blush only deepened as the comment drew his attention.

Stay calm, she told herself as she took a deep breath.

"No, I feel fine." She squirmed in her seat as all eyes fell on her. "I'm fine." She said again with more confidence.

He turned back to his sword as the discussion shifted to the accumulation of stars. She let out a held breath once she was no longer the center of attention. She rolled her eyes once more as he boasted about his black stars. Ril said something inane and Yami defended him to the others, but the remaining captains then turned on him.

She could stand no more. She was tired of the squabbling. She missed Fuegoleon's firm grip on getting the ragtag group of captains on the same page. She decided to speak up.

"What I think Yummy, I mean Yami was trying to say..." Oh God, she thought as what had slipped out of her brain through her mouth came to her. She started hyperventilating as she felt all eyes on her. He had frozen in the seat next to her. "You know what, Nozel? You're right. I'm not feeling well." She pushed back her chair and stood. She wavered a moment, dizzy, before she turned to him. "May I speak with you a moment?"

He had been staring at the silver of the blade in his hands, his face a blank mask after her slip of the tongue. He turned to her when she asked. He took the cigarette from between his lips, stubbed it out on the table, and then stood. He gestured for her to lead the way. Charlotte turned and left the room quickly. She never looked back to see if he had followed her.

Only once the door had shut behind her and she had walked several paces down the hallway from the entrance to the room, did Charlotte turn around. He had indeed followed her. Confusion had settled on his face. She noticed he had left his sword behind.

She had asked him out into the hallway to talk to him, to tell him... something at least.

But now that she looked up at him, her mind was blank. He was close, far closer than she had expected, and far closer than he had been yesterday when his presence had set her off. She licked her lips unconsciously, noting his eyes darting from hers to them and back again.

"Well, what did you want to talk about?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

She felt herself wither under the intensity of his stare. She tried to call forth the words to tell him everything-about the curse, about how he broke it, about how she couldn't stop thinking about him.

But none of that came out.

"I need you to kiss me." She said instead.

His mouth fell open.

"What?" Disbelief was evident on his face.

She closed her eyes and let out a breath. She opened her eyes only to be met with his confusion once more. She noticed, however, his tongue quickly wetting his lips and the slight tug on the bottom one as he bit it.

"I said I need you to kiss me." She clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. She wished she could do the same for the heart threatening to jump out of her chest as she waited for his response.

"Okay." He took a half-step forward and leaned over just enough to brush his lips against hers. The touch was light, uncertain, and not at all what she had expected. She could feel his face hovering near her, but she could not see his reaction as she did not want to open her eyes.

She shook her head, mildly disappointed.

"Like you mean it." Her voice was a breathy whisper.

And his lips crushed against hers. The hesitancy was gone as he nipped at her bottom lip and slipped his tongue between her lips. Her back slammed into the wall as he pressed his body against hers. His hands slid over her waist, her hips and down one of her thighs before he hooked her leg around his.

Her hands splayed against the smooth wall behind her before she took the chance to touch him. She slid her hands up his thick arms and over his well defined shoulders. She dug her nails into his muscular flesh as his lips traveled from hers to her neck. She gasped as he nipped at the skin where her jaw met her neck. He chuckled as she slipped her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

He looked at her then, his golden brown eyes nearly black with desire. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his tongue wet his lips eager to play some more. She wondered what she looked like to him. She wondered how much of her desperation he could see in her eyes.

She pulled his lips back to hers, sucking at his bottom lip. He moaned in response before pulling her closer to him, their lips and tongues pushing and pulling in a mutual dance.

"I want you." She breathed against his lips.

"A terrible idea, really." He said between kisses.

"I know." She gasped as he kissed her neck again.

"Come on." He set her down and took her hand. He led her threw a near-by doorway into an empty room. The set up was similar to the room in which the captain were meeting, with a long table centered in the space surrounded by chairs. A fireplace sat empty in the far wall. She kicked the door closed behind them and he pushed the head chair aside before pulling her close and hoisting her up to the table. As her legs wrapped around him, he devoured her lips once more.

\\*\\*\\*

The remaining five captains sat staring at each other. Nozel rapped his fingers on the table top impatiently. Dorthy napped as always and Jack and Gueldre bickered about which squad was better. Ril shifted uncomfortably as he looked at the door.

"They sure are taking a long time." The youngest captain said. "I wonder what they are talking about?"

The other four captains looked at the young naive man in disbelief.

\\*\\*\\*

Her helmet had been tossed to the floor as had his pauldron. She bit down hard where his neck met his shoulder.

"Ow."

"Sorry." She muttered as she licked up his neck toward his ear. He shuddered, moaning slightly before his fingers worked loose her breastplate. It also clattered to the floor, hitting the helmet with a clang. They froze as the sound echoed through the room, waiting to see if the noise would attract the attention of someone from outside. When the sound faded and no one came to investigate, he slipped his hands beneath her shirt. She gasped as her skin tingled with his touch. His fingertips were rough against her skin, as she had expected, but she had not imagined his hands could cover so much of her skin. She unfastened her cape, letting it fall to the table behind her before he yanked the blouse over her head.

"I've never wanted anyone to fuck me this badly." She said between the kisses he placed on her lips and the small gasps and moans which erupted from her mouth has he kissed other places. She could feel the smile spread across his mouth as he pressed it against her skin. He sucked at her breast, his tongue flicking against her nipple as he chuckled. He pushed her back against the tabletop.

"You have much experience with that, do you?" He ran his fingers over her before unhooking his belt and letting his scabbard and grimoire fall to the floor.

"With the wanting? Yes." She propped herself up on her elbows as she watched him. "The actual fucking? Not so much."

He pushed her down again with the weight of him as he kissed her once more.

"Not so much, huh?" His tongue traced her neck, her collarbone and down between her breasts. "Maybe we should rectify that?"

She gasped as he slipped her pants over her hips and stripped them from her body. He hovered over her, pulling her toward him, pressing his erection against her.

"Tell me what you want, Charlotte." His chest rose and fell in rapid succession and his deep voice was raw and breathless.

"I already did, Yami."

"Say it again."

She saw something flicker in his eyes, something more than the desire she could feel emanating from his skin.

"I want you to fuck me."

He sighed and dove forward for a kiss once more before freeing himself and pushing into her waiting, wet core. He shivered against her, his lips sucking at the skin near her throat before he started thrusting into her. He felt so different than her other experiences, than her or Mira's fingers, or even Mira's tongue. He filled her more completely and his movements touched her in ways she hadn't been touched before. Her body clenched around him quickly as his pace quickened. His lips found hers and his fingers swirled over her breasts as she felt the sweet rush of release. She wanted more, she wanted him to keep fucking her forever. But his body pulsated as he expended his desire, filling her with more than just flesh. He held himself over her and within her for a moment. He shook his head in disappointment.

"Not how I ever pictured my first time with you going." He said.

Wait, she thought, first time?

Her breath caught as he kissed her neck once more before capturing her lips. The mad desire was gone, replaced by something else she couldn't quite place. He pulled her up to a sitting position, a satisfied and tired smile danced on his lips as he looked over her naked body.

"You know, all you had to do is ask, Charlotte." He brushed back a stray strand of hair that had come loose from her bun and tucked it behind her ear. He tilted her chin upward and kissed her softly-not the hesitant first kiss he had given her. This one was more sure, but still gentle. Somehow it turned her on just as much as the rough desperate kisses from earlier. Maybe more.

"I'll keep that in mind." She whispered as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I promise things won't be so... hasty if you do."

She gasped and swallowed hard as his fingers trailed down the length of her arms. He kissed her quickly one last time before stepping away from her.

"Besides, I'm sure they've started to wonder by now." He tossed her the shirt he had thrown to the floor once he had pulled it over her head.

"Right." She proceeded to dress quickly. "I wonder if William has shown up yet." She looked at her reflection in the black marble surrounding the fire place. Her hair was a mess. She tried to fix it as best she could without a brush or real mirror. She frowned at her effort and then tucked whatever else she could under her helmet. When she turned to him, he was fastening his squad pauldron over his shoulder. A dark red bruise was forming where his neck met his shoulder, where she had bit him. She touched the spot and he winced slightly.

"Sorry."

"Next time you bite me that hard, I'm going to bite you back." His voice was low and sultry in her ear.

There he goes again about next time, she thought, certain this was going to be the only time.

"Fair enough." She said, convinced there would never be a next time. But something about his voice still made her heart flutter and warm desire spread through her body.

\\*\\*\\*

"You two sure took your time." Ril said as Yami and Charlotte took their respective seats next to him. "What could you possibly talk about that would take so long?"

"Oh, this and that." Yami answered.

"Just some details about the attack yesterday is all." Charlotte added.

"But weren't Nozel and Jack there too?" Ril asked.

"Yeah, but this didn't pertain to them."

"Oh." The young captain seemed confused. "So was it important?"

Yami looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Oh yeah." He said deadpan. "In fact, it was a deep and penetrating conversation."

Nozel snorted and hid his laughter behind his fist. Jack rolled his eyes and Charlotte turned scarlet.

Why can't he ever be serious, she thought as she covered her face with her hands. She recovered quickly.

"I hate you." She said with her typical calm disdain. "I hate all of you." She turned to Yami. "Especially you."

He grinned at her, winking. She sighed and shook her head.

She had hoped to keep what had happened a secret, but now everyone knew, or at least knew enough to piece things together. She wanted to crawl underneath the table and die.

But then the door opened.

William walked in.

"Sorry I'm late. There was something I couldn't get out of." The masked captain said. The other seven captains present turned to him simultaneously. The mood shifted to business, and Charlotte's 'conversation' with Yami was all but forgotten

\\*\\*\\*

For the second day in a row, Charlotte collapsed onto her bed, but this time she was not shaking with desire. The day had been trying in its own way filled with confessions, betrayals and revelations, but her curiosity regarding one matter had been sated. She lay in bed, wishing for sleep as her mind replayed the events of the day. His voice kept echoing in her mind, now that things were still.

"All you had to do was ask."

Her memory played over and over again as she closed her eyes. A small smile danced on her lips as she remembered the feel of his lips against her skin and the soft, gentle kisses he had given her.

Maybe, she thought, one day I will.


End file.
